Three New Year's Resolutions That Could Unlock West Virginia's Full Potential

Now that Santy Claus has dropped off his gifts to the world, it's time to shift our focus to the New Year and make some resolutions.

Everyone wants to start 2026 off on the right foot and improve some things about their quality of life. West Virginia basketball is no different. The Mountaineers won't play again until this Friday, January 2nd, when they take on Iowa State in the Big 12 Conference opener.

What needs to change for Ross Hodge's squad in 2026?

Stop letting games slip away

Let's get the obvious out of the way.

West Virginia's NCAA Tournament picture would look completely different heading into Big 12 play if it had just finished the deal against Clemson and Ohio State. You can live with losing to Xavier and Wake Forest, wrapping up non-con play at 11-2. Dropping all four of those contests has put them in a difficult situation.

Much of this comes down to the lack of efficiency on offense, impacting their ability on the other end of the floor. When they can sit down in the half-court and defend, they're fine. It's when the one-and-dones happen on offense (or live-ball turnovers), and they have to defend in transition without a true rim protector. Finish games you lead by double digits in, and you might be alright.

Pound the paint with purpose

Chance Moore is the only consistent driver of the basketball on the roster. That has to change. I don't know who or how, but if that's the only person on the roster who can get downhill and put pressure on the rim consistently, WVU is going to be in big trouble. Way too often, guys not named Chance Moore are driving the paint and are unsure of what their intentions are. Do I attack and lay it up on the cup? Do I dish it to the block? Do I kick it out to the arc? There's too much thinking and very little conviction.

The final piece of this is getting the ball to Harlan Obioha. He hasn't had a great start to the season, but he also hasn't been featured enough. WVU doesn't need him to score 10-12 points a night, but they do need to get him more involved. He's a good passer out of the post, and that can't be hidden in this offense. Good things typically happen when you toss it down to your 7-foot, 265-pound big man, as it loosens up the coverage from three. If the ball hits the paint just once, WVU's shooting percentage skyrockets.

Take the freebies

The season of giving is over. Only 71 teams get to the line more often than West Virginia. 258 teams, however, convert their free throws at a higher clip. I normally dismiss free-throw percentage because it's a small piece of a very large puzzle, but when you're shooting 68% as a team through 13 games, it's time to sound the alarm.

Harlan Obioha is not a good free-thrower, but he's only attempted 44 of the team's 309 attempts. Yes, he has the second-most opportunities, but others are shooting well below expectations. Making three or four more of those per game can be the difference between winning and losing. Poor free-throw shooting hurts you regardless, but even more so when you don't have an efficient or explosive offense to counter it. Every point is precious.

I was going to mention something about Treysen Eaglestaff in this story, but I already mentioned it in the Christmas Wish List we did earlier this month, and didn't want to get redundant. His play absolutely impacts the ceiling of this team.

Stop letting games slip away

Pound the paint with purpose

Take the freebies

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